This invention relates to micro and nanofluidic devices and systems, and more particularly, to a multi-layer micro/nanofluidic flow device and micro/nano fabrication process.
Microfluidic devices and systems have attracted the attention of researchers due to high surface-to-volume ratio and improved performance in physical, chemical, biochemical, biological analysis and applications, especially enhancing the efficiency of chemical reaction, bio-analysis, and mass/momentum/heat transport in shorter times with higher controllable accuracy. Due to the advancement of the non-intrusive measurement techniques, e.g. microscopic particle image velocimetry (microPIV) and planar laser induced fluorescence (PLIF), the study on fluid behavior at microscale has become possible with proper laser wavelength, fluorescent particles, fluorescent dyes, exposure time, etc. However, these measurements techniques can not be applied on the study of fluidic flow at the nanoscale due to the limitation of the laser wavelength, fluorescent particles and pressure accumulation of the nanofluidic flow. Nanoscale fluid flow is useful but requires detectable fluid flow.
The fabrication of micro/nanofluidic devices has been advanced by the advancement of micro/nanofabrication techniques used for MEMS/NEMS manufacture. For example, electron beam lithography, photolithography, reactive ion etching, sputtering, liftoff, wafer bonding, and the like, have been used to fabricate micro/nanoscale features for lab-on-a-chips. Furthermore, due to the advancement of the non-intrusive measurement techniques, e.g. microscopic particle image velocimetry (microPIV) and planar laser induced fluorescence (PLIF), the study on fluid behavior at microscale, has become possible provided proper laser wavelength, fluorescent particles, fluorescent dyes, exposure time, etc. However, these measurement techniques can not be applied on the study of fluidic flow at the nanoscale due to the limitations of the laser wavelength, fluorescent particles, and pressure accumulation of nanofluidic flow.
It is, therefore, desirable to provide an improved multi-layer micro/nanofluidic flow device and micro/nano fabrication process, which overcomes most, if not all of the preceding problems and disadvantages.